Cape Cod
Our first time in a hotel since being vaccinated - whoo hoo! We stayed in our home state and traveled just over 2 hours by car, but it was something different! We chose to go to 'the Cape', the vernacular for Cape Cod and spent two nights at the Chatham Bars Inn. The Inn began in 1914 as a luxury hunting lodge for wealthy Bostonians and is now a beautiful resort on the ocean with over 200 different rooms and suites.
Not sure about the unpredicitable weather in late March, I booked a suite so we wouldn't have to eat take out on our bed if we decided we weren't ready for indoor dining.
Having the extra space was great. We read, drank wine, played cribbage and felt like we were on a mini-vacation, not just 'staying in a hotel room.'
This was the view from the window seat of our suite. After taking this picture, we walked along the deserted beach, a perfect activity for getting used to this strange new almost-post quarantine world!
Our food research for this trip involved breakfast sandwiches. We settled on two places to try, the first was the Chatham Village Cafe & Bakery. Since we were visiting the Cape in off season, we had to pay attention to when various places were open. We got breakfast sandwiches from the Cafe on our first morning and they were delicious but it was their fresh, homemade donuts that brought us back the next day before heading home. And judging by the number of vehicles in the parking lot, it seems like the donuts are a local favourite. Chatham Filling Station was only open on our last day so that was a no-brainer. The Filling Station breakfast sandwich was an easy choice - egg, avocado, tomato, bacon jam & cheddar on a delicious homemade biscuit. We hit the breakfast jackpot with both places!
Several friends had recommended the Impudent Oyster for dinner so we made reservations and ate our first meal in a restaurant in a very long time. They have an extensive, creative menu with fresh fish. The tables were distanced and we felt comfortable eating inside. The restaurant was just a 10 minute walk from our hotel---it was so pleasant to be able to walk. I have always loved the Italian tradition of a passeggiata, the leisurely stroll in the evening, it conjures up Italy and vacation to me so having an excellent restaurant in walking distance of our hotel was a huge bonus.
Our one full day in Chatham was overcast and windy, but perfect for an isolated walk at the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge a federal wildlife refuge just 2.5 miles from the Inn. We didn't see another soul on the trail and felt like we were miles from civilization, except for the million dollar homes we passed to get back to the car!
We had planned to sit in the elegant bar at STARS restaurant at our hotel for a pre-dinner drink. With panoramic views out to the harbour, clearly it's a popular spot and the socially-distanced couches were filled by 5PM on a Wednesday so we missed out on that experience. Instead, we went to the Sacred Cod tavern in the hotel instead and had excellent drinks (minus the view), shared a salad & burger and had a very friendly server.
Two nights away was a perfect first trip away from home for us. We felt safe, we had a change of scenery, and then were home in just over 2 hours. No drama. Not PCR testing. No quarantine. Just a much needed mini-vacation.